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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · march · net · cold · rule · root · track · stand

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. net — for catching
  3. cold — an illness
  4. track — a path
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. track — a song
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. prune — to trim
  13. track — to keep track
  14. root — of a plant
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cold — not warm
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. rule — government
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rule — a law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com